Pacific, Philippines & Post 2485 Commanders and staff

Pacific, Philippines District VII, and Post 2485 Commanders and Staff.

"In Comradeship and Service to Veterans"

Department of the Pacific Commander

Current Commander---- Michael Verville

2018-

Let me start by personally thanking all of you for the confidence you have shown in electing me as your new

Department Commander for the year 2018 – 2019. I promise not to let you down and will do my best to represent you throughout the coming year.

Mike was born in Ishpeming

Michigan on July 29, 1955. He enlisted in the U. S. Navy on August 3, 1972. After his participation in the evacuation of Saigon, he was honorable discharged in 1976 and returned home to attend college at Northern Michigan University. He received a Bachelor&#39;s Degree in Electronics and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army Signal Corps in December 1979. He served six years in the Army until his separation in 1985. Mike became a Department of the Army Civilian that same year and served twenty-two years in various senior level assignments around the world until his retirement in August 2007. He was twice Board Selected as a Product Manager and Project Manager in the Army Acquisition Corps.

His VFW career has spanned 32+ years. Positions served included Department Senior Vice Commander, Junior Vice Commander, Department Adjutant, District Commander, and Post Commander. Mike has served in numerous Department Committee Chairman positions to include Hospital Chairman, Veterans Assistance Committee Chairman, Audit Committee Chairman and Department Convention Chairman. He has held numerous District and Post chairs. He was selected as an All-American Post Commander (2015-2016), VFW Post #11447, Subic Bay Area, Philippines.

Mike has served in U. S. Veterans Associations for the last 40 years of his life. He was National Commander of the Forty &amp; Eight, Alternate National Executive Committee man for the Department of France, twice Department Commander of the

American Legion Department of France, Department Adjutant for multiple years, and dozens of other line and chair positions at the Department, District and Post levels. He is a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans, Life Member of the American Legion, Life Member of the Vietnam Veterans Association, President &amp; Life Member of the Fleet Reserve Association, President of the USS Hancock (CV/CVA-19) Association, Gold Legacy Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Seam Squirrel and Life Member of the Military Order of the Cooties.

His education includes a BS Degree in Electronics, MBA in Management, a MS Degree in Science and Technology Commercialization and the Army War College.

Mike and his wife Minda currently are retired and living in the Subic Bay Metropolitan Area in the Philippines.

Previous Commander---- John H. Gilbert

2017-2018

'All American'

District Commander Gilbert became the Commander, VFW Department of Pacific Areas, on June 14, 2017. His area of responsibility includes 26 VFW Posts in nine countries. He served in the United States Army from 1970 until 1993, with tours of duty in Berlin, Germany, Korea, Japan and the Middle East. He retired from the US Army following the Persian Gulf War, where he served as the Chief Operations NCO for US Army Forces Central Command. Following Military Retirement he completed a second career as a High School Teacher and Counselor in Public Education. John holds an earned Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and is a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.

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Philippines District 7 Commander

Current Commander-------- Alex B Fores

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Previous Commander--------

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Current VFW Post 2485 Commander and Staff Members

Post Commander

Commander James E. (Jim) Collins

Jim was born 19 August 1954 in Lowell, Mass and graduated from Tewksbury Memorial High School in 1972. After graduating from High School Jim attended college for a couple of years before enlisting in the US Army in September 1974. Jim served 2 years in the 1/75th Rangers, 4 years in Infantry assignments in Korea, and 24 years in US Army Special Forces assignment throughout the Pacific Theater. While on active duty he pursued his civilian education earning a Bachelor in Political Science from the University of the State of New York in May 1990 and Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma in May 1998. Jim retired from the US Army in October 2004 after 30 years at the rank of Sergeant Major. Jim is a graduate of the US Army Sergeants Major Academy and his numerous awards include the Legion Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and US Army Meritorious Service Medal (5th award) After completed his military career, Jim worked as a military contractor in Korea for 2 years, Iraq for 5 years, and Afghanistan for 5 years. Jim is now retired and lives in Angeles City, Philippines.

Post Senior Vice Commander

Senior Vice Commander Eric Zarriello

Eric Is originally from Hawaii and retired from the Honolulu Police Dept. as a Lieutenant after 28 years of service. He also retired from the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a Master Sergeant with 26 years of service. In 2004, his Reserve unit at Hickam AFB, Hawaii was mobilized in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which he deployed to Kuwait as an Air Transportation Supervisor/Manager where he had the honor and privilege to serve with members from the various branches of the DOD, military or civilian both foreign and domestic to accomplish the mission.

Post Junior Vice Commander

Junior Vice Commander David J. Mason

David Is originally from the Chicago area and upstate New York. In 1977 he graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelors Degree in Aerospace Engineering. He entered the U. S. Air Force in 1978 as a 2Lt. and was assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, CA. While there he graduated from the USAF Test Pilot School Engineer Course and worked on the A-10 and F-15 Combined Test Teams. He also flew as a flight test engineer in the F-15B, RF-4C, A-37B, T-38B, F-4C, F-4E, and the F-16B aircraft. In 1981-82 he attended US Air Force pilot training at Laughlin AFB, TX. He was then assigned to Shaw AFB, SC as an O-2A and OV-10A Forward Air Controller. In October 1983 he participated in Operation Urgent Fury (Grenada) supporting the 82nd Airborne Division. In 1984 he was re-assigned to fly the F-4E Phantom at George AFB, CA and then at Clark AB, Philippines. In 1986 he was re-assigned to Travis AFB, CA to fly the huge C-5A Galaxy. As a C-5A Aircraft Commander he participated in Presidential support missions, Operation Just Cause (Panama), and Operation Desert Storm (Persian Gulf). He left the Air Force in 1991 to become a commercial airline pilot for American Eagle. In 1994 he was hired by World Airways as an MD-11 First Officer and then upgraded to MD-11 Captain in May 2001. While a Captain on the MD-11 he commanded US military charter flights to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2016 he was hired by Federal Express as an MD-11 Pilot Instructor. In June 2017 he fully retired from active flying and simulator instructing. He has logged 17,600 flying hours in 16 different aircraft types. He has been married twice and has three sons and two daughters. He currently teaches various College level subjects at Systems Plus College in Balibago.

Post Quartermaster

Norme Smith

2) 'All American'

Norme Smith served in the US Air Force from June 1980 and retired as Master Sergeant in July 2000. Commander Smith was trained in Aerospace Defense and held a wide ranges of positions including satellite tracking and nuclear ballistic missile warning, ground mobile radar deployable to conflict zones, and radar surveillance and identification of air traffic entering and within North American and Central American airspace to include narco trafficking surveillance and interdiction. He was deployed to the crisis in Kosovo in support of Operation Noble Anvil and it's aftermath.

In Comradeship and Service to Veterans.

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Post Webmaster

Gordon Ross

Gordon, a non member friend of the VFW, has worked with the post since October 2017 and has assumed the

position of Webmaster and VFW video cameraman and producer.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in Germany and England, his family eventually settled in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.

Enlisting in 1971, Gordon served as a Navy Radioman during the Vietnam campaign aboard a Nuclear Submarine Command ship based in Agana, Guam. After retrofit to the new POSEIDON missile system, Gordon was transferred to the Nuclear Submarine base in Charleston, SC. An honored 'Golden Shellback', he discharged in 1977. Gordon has many years of webmastering experience. From 1975 through 1990, he owned a burglar and fire alarm company. Selling that business, Gordon worked as a senior level technical advisor for Packard Bell Computer Systems then left that company when ti was sold to N.E.C. Deciding on a career with the telephone company, he became a lineman for Pacific Bell/SBC and retired early due to a devastating back injury in 2005. After 12 years in Arizona he decided to leave the country and retire in the Philippines. He moved to Angeles City in mid 2017.

Past Department of the Pacific Commanders

John H. Gilbert

Kenneth Schaefer

2006-2007

'All American'

'Triple Crown'

Robert Zaher

1996-1997

'All American'

'Triple Crown'

Joseph Carsley

1995-1996

'All American'

E. Ralph Milward

1994-1995

'All American'

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Past Philippines District Commanders

Albert Mitchell

2008-2009

'All Pacific'

Jerry Prinz

2003-2004

'All Pacific'

B.K. Hubbard

2001-2001

'All American'

Robert Zaher

1999-2000

'All American'

Kenneth Schaefer

1997-1998

'All American'

Paul Morgenthal

1995-1996

'All American'

Past Post 2485 Commanders

Norme Smith

2016-2017

(2) 'All American'
Norme Smith served in the US Air Force from June 1980 and retired as Master Sergeant in July 2000. Commander Smith was trained in Aerospace Defense and held a wide ranges of positions including satellite tracking and nuclear ballistic missile warning, ground mobile radar deployable to conflict zones, and radar surveillance and identification of air traffic entering and within North American and Central American airspace to include narco trafficking surveillance and interdiction. He was deployed to the crisis in Kosovo in support of Operation Noble Anvil and it's aftermath.

In Comradeship and Service to Veterans.

Carl Burke

2015-2016

'All American'

Carl Damien Burke served with the U.S Army's 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) at Camp Evans Vietnam from January to December 1970.Burke joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars at Sacramento, California Post 67.He transferred his membership to VFW Post 2485 in 2009 where he became a Gold Legacy Life Member. Burke "moved up the chairs" serving as Adjutant, Junior Vice Commander, Senior Vice Commander and then became VFW Post 2485 Commander in 2014. He was elected to serve as District 7 Commander of the Philippines for the 2015-2016 Term.His additional duties were Boy Scouts of America Troop 485 Business Executive and Member of the Post House Committee.Burke was voted Outstanding Post Commander at the 2016 Department of Pacific Areas Convention and achieved All State and All American for the Post and District 7 levels." A high tide lifts all boats" was his motto and reflected the tremendous support he was given while in office. The National VFW in 2016 awarded Post 2485 the Fred C. Hall Memorial Outstanding Post Special Project Award in honor of its "Burial Assistance Program" project.The Post also won VFW National's top honor of National Veterans of Foreign Wars Community Service Award for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.The Post continues to be recognized for having the largest membership in the Gold Legacy Life Membership Program. "My greatest honor was to serve on the Clark Veterans Cemetery Committee for six years. I became the Chairman of CVC for 2015-2016." Burke said. "Thank you for those that served and participated in Post activities during my two terms as Commander for Post 2485, Angeles City in the Philippines. I would not have done as well without your support.

John H.Gilbert

2012-2014

'All American'

District Commander Gilbert became the Commander, VFW Department of Pacific Areas, on June 14, 2017. His area of responsibility includes 26 VFW Posts in nine countries. He served in the United States Army from 1970 until 1993, with tours of duty in Berlin, Germany, Korea, Japan and the Middle East. He retired from the US Army following the Persian Gulf War, where he served as the Chief Operations NCO for US Army Forces Central Command. Following Military Retirement he completed a second career as a High School Teacher and Counselor in Public Education. John holds an earned Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and is a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy.